Glucosephosphate isomerase (GPI) of the teleostFundulus heteroclitus (linnaeus): Isozymes, allozymes and their physiological roles

Summary In order to evaluate the role of glucose-phosphate isomerase (GPI) inFundulus heteroclitus, the isozymes and allozymes were purified and some of their physical and kinetic properties determined.Isozymes were purified from both liver (GPI-B) and muscle (GPI-A) tissue (Tables 1, 2). Gel filtration of the native enzyme and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated that all forms are dimers of approximately 110,000 Daltons (Figs. 4, 5). Although thermal stability studies revealed no differences between the allozymes, the isozymes were clearly different (Figs. 6, 7). Kinetic analysis showed further differences between isozymes inK _m for substrate andK _I for 6-phosphogluconate (Figs. 8, 9; Table 3). No significant differences were found between the allozymes of the B-locus under the conditions employed in this study.Based on the tissue specificities and the functional differences between isozymes, we propose a possible regulatory role for GPI-B inF. heteroclitus. The sensitivity of this isozyme to 6-phosphogluconate inhibition may allow GPI-B to act as a regulatory enzyme in the partitioning of carbon flow between glycolysis and the hexose monophosphate shunt.Abbreviations me -mercaptoethanol - F6P fructose-6-phosphate - G1P glucose-1-phosphate - G6P glucose-6-phosphate - G6Pase glucose-6-phosphatase - G6PDH glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase - GPI glucosephosphate isomerase - HK hexokinase - HMP hexose monophosphate shunt - 6PG 6-phosphogluconate - PGM phosphoglucomutase Supported in part by: NSF grants DEB-76-19877 to D.A.P. and PCM 77-16838 to B.D.S., NIH Biomedical grant 5-50-7RR07-041 and a grant from the National Geographic Society. G.D.S. and R.V.B. are NIH trainees supported by a training grant (No. HD00139) to the Department of Biology, The Johns Hopkins University. This is contribution No. 1052 from the Department of Biology